"Thanks for the short-short story. I like several of your sentences, esp 'heblew me off, blew out some lingering smoke, and blew up the stairs . . . 'The point of view strikes me as a little unstable since he is both worshiperand victim of the Spanish prince. Why not..."

"Madame", replying, "A thousand pardons. I'm offto catch a thief, long delayed & maybe impossible.When I return, I always imagined I could conjureyou and he both up in a puff of smoke. As they say,Dancing Days'll be here again. All will be revealed."

The Great Lady of Good Gossip XII
"You just need to think outside the pobox.com," she intoned, "if you'regoing anywhere in this town or this world. All the emails I've mailed and blogs I've logged have created a kingdom. A kingdom of Net workers. And I'm their pretty princess.Poor little me. Always having to work the Net and it's network, holding court in cat houses, setting sail via the sea of ether to the nearest dive....

El Ladron Del Amor: A New Conclusion
In the dark of the street, far from the crowd, he took the moment. He stole a long kissgoodnight, sucking the breath from his lover. Spectators spilled out into the sidewalk...

The Great Lady of Good Gossip X
I chose to let her be free. I thought of all the questionable goodshe'd done for me and DC. I decided it would be best if she wasfree to question the map of the world and the whole of the moon...

A Brief Concert Review: Madonna XI
Mother and Father (from American Life, 2003)

Or maybe I've got the Catholic symbols mixed up with the Jewish and Cabal wordsthat were also flashing subliminal messages to the crowd that night. I don't recall asmuch of this song as I'd like. Check out some other review on the web for me, thx. Ithink I didn't like the stoppage of motion, of spectacle, that was now flowing in me.

Imagine (John Lennon cover)

A nice gesture by Madonna, with touching images of children in war countries, ofJewish and Palestinian boys getting along in the end. I'm glad she sang it, although,I don't know if I got the full feeling of the song. I thought that the synthesized soundswere cool, but I guess Madonna's by-now-beautiful voice didn't get above pretty to me.I did take the time to Imagine various solutions to problems in my life and in the world.

(And I did defend Madonna's sentiment from my free-market female friend who I sawthe show with. She thought it wrong for M to sing a communistic anthem (she said). Isaid to take whatever positive meaning from the lyrics as one could. I didn't after all, goand check out Madonna's plug for her Kabala "Spirituality for Kids" sign at the show later on. I am free to choose my politics and religion as Madonna is to express her own.)

For this song, I remember Madonna slowly reappearing on the opposite side of the stageright on the edge, over the lucky crowd, strumming a guitar. The only part I recall clearlyis the refrain "I'm not religious, but..." and her sitting down, sharing her feelings with us.

I've heard a Canadian songstress I like characterize this album as "soulless". Maybe so. Ithink it's just not as finished a jewel as albums of the past. Not polished or structured yet.This song might have been better given a little more time. But it didn't completely FAIL.

Don't Tell Me (from Music, 2000)

I LOOVED this stage set with Madonna at the top of a triangle troupe of dancers in frontof an elongated backdrop of a nighttime European city on riverside, complete with the Eiffel Towerand Big Ben (I think or else London Bridge) with a moon that slo-o-wly went across the sky, like an extended make out. I really didn't want it to stop, as I thinkthis was the highlight of the night for me. I pictured all the dreams I had and goals I wasreaching for and I envisioned myself gradually progressing to and achieving them some night.